I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic sale systems and related methods. More particularly, the invention relates to electronic sale systems and methods in which a sale offer is communicated from a seller to selected individuals through an electronic network system or environment in which a number of sellers provide sale offers.
II. Description of the Related Art
The development of the Internet has brought about a profound effect on price competition for goods and services in the global marketplace. Web sites on the Internet, such as Amazon.com and CDNow.com, sell goods at prices substantially less than conventional distributors who typically employ printed advertisements to attract customers. These sites have been able to do so by utilizing the global reach of the Internet to expand the relevant sales market beyond the local market reached by printed advertising methods. Moreover, the start up costs of setting up an Web site are either less than or at least comparable to the start up costs associated with conventional sales methods. Accordingly, Web sites have been able to transfer cost savings to the consumer in the form of substantially reduced prices.
Other Web sites have also attempted to further reduces prices. For example, Buy.com has been able to sell software and other goods at below cost prices by recouping the losses through advertising revenue generated over the site itself. Moreover, FreePC.com has allowed consumers to receive free personal computers on the condition that the consumers provide personal data, which could be sold to advertisers. However, many of these endeavors collapse when the cost of procuring such goods outweighs the advertising revenue generated.
In general, conventional buyer-seller transactions are seller-driven in the sense that they focus on the methods or processes available to the seller. Typically, electronic sales systems involve sellers utilizing various electronic advertising media in order to attract potential buyers and, in some cases, to complete sales transactions. With an electronic sales system it is possible to reach more potential buyers than with other conventional sale methods (e.g., printed advertising). Electronic sales systems, however, suffer from the same drawbacks of conventional sales methods in that the seller normally absorbs the risk and cost of advertising. That is, the advertising cost associated with the transaction and the attendant risk that such advertising will be unsuccessful fall directly upon the seller. As a result, the offered cost of a product will normally include not only the cost of manufacturing the product and the seller's anticipated profit, but also the cost of advertising the product. Similar problems and associated risk exist when a seller offers services.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for offering goods and services, including within electronic sales systems, to reduce the risk placed on a seller. There is also a need for an improved method and apparatus for advertising goods and services, and reaching more buyers in a fast and economical fashion. Still further, there is a need to provide an improved method and apparatus for automatically and intelligently directing sale offers to a group of selected individuals who have registered as potential buyers from among a larger number of other visitors connected to an electronic sales system in order to increase the likelihood of acceptance of the sale offer.